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| Chapter 28 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ At the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards shook and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, "Fear ye not, for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and behold, He goeth before you into Galilee. There shall ye see Him. Lo, I have told you." 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "All hail." And they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then said Jesus unto them, "Be not afraid. Go tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me." 11 ¶ Now when they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and reported unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money unto the soldiers, 13 saying, "Say ye, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and secure you." 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught; and this account is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 16 ¶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee onto a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on earth. 19 Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Amen. |
The resurrection of the Jesus Matt 28:1-20 The Gospel of Matthew is not so detailed as those of Luke and John but this gospel is the only record which contains details concerning the soldiers on guard, v11-15. v1-8 The Empty Tomb v1 "After the sabbath," Mark 16:1,2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, a group of women go to the tomb to complete the normal Jewish practice of the embalming of the dead body. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome set out for the tomb, the other gospels record their concern on how to remove the large stone to open the grave. As the women approach the tomb there was an earthquake, John 20:1,2 tells us that Mary Magdalene left to tell the disciples that the tomb had been opened, she did not see or receive the message from the angel. The angel of God had rolled back the stone. The Temple guards are so scared they are paralyzed with fear. This was not the moment of the resurrection, just God revealing that it had happened to the witnesses, in a supernatural way, that the resurrection had happened. The angel also had a message for the two other women, "He is risen, come and see." The additional message "He goeth before you into Galilee," as He promised, Matt 26:32, does not restrict Him appearing to individuals or private groups in Jerusalem. Peter and John, having been contacted by Mary Magdalene, arrive at the tomb about this time, look into the empty tomb and depart, probably Mary Magdalene had followed the disciples to the tomb and then remained there, John 20:3-10. v8 The women, frightened, yet full of joy, take the message to the other disciples. Mary Magdalene waiting at the tomb, John 20:11-17 now meets Jesus. v9,10 Luke 24:9-11 records that the women had already contacted the disciples, Jesus now appears to the women, possibly somewhere near the tomb, but we are not told the exact location. The message Jesus gives the women is similar to the angel at the tomb. v11-15 The soldiers report. Matthew’s gospel is the only record of this event. The soldiers must have been Roman as they were there under Pilate’s instruction, though they were under direct Sanhedrin control, Matt 27:65,66. The soldiers have to admit that they had failed in their duty, they were frightened by the events at the tomb, this would have been a serious admission for a Roman soldier, possibly a punishment of death for their failure. However, the story they made up could be considered just as bad. If the soldiers were asleep, how did they know what was happening? They would all have had to been asleep and that is even more serious charge for a Roman soldier. Yet this story was accepted by the Jews. The Sanhedrin were all part of the lie and promised to persuade Pilate, v14, if he tries to take action, possibly a further bribe? The other Gospels record many appearances of Jesus during this period and His physical departure from the earth. v16-20 The Great Commission Fulfilling the earlier instructions by Jesus before His Crucifixion to the disciples, He now appears to the eleven disciples in Galilee. This may have also been the time Jesus appeared to "about five hundred" as mentioned by Paul, 1 Cor 15:6. Galilee would have been the home of most of the followers of Jesus and so would not have caused too much attraction to the authorities. v17 "They saw Him and worshiped, but some doubted." This also proved that Matthew’s report was an honest commentary on the events he recorded, willing to say ‘some doubted.’ Yet they believed only on the basis of "many infallible proofs," Acts 1:3. v18 "All power is given unto Me." The following commission had all the power of authority from God the Father, the ultimate power in heaven and earth. v19 "Make disciples," teach the world about Jesus, bring people to know salvation and the saving power of Jesus Christ. "Baptizing them," the symbolic public show, that Christ is your Saviour. "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," Showing the full, distinctive, unique, different character of the Christian baptism, so different from the earlier baptism carried out by the Jews. v20 "Teaching them," Not just salvation but having a deep knowledge of Jesus, His teaching and way of life. "I am with you always. " We may not feel the presence of Jesus in our life, but He is there, "until the end of the world." See Romans 8:28-39. |
Easy English Translation
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